The Couple's Seat
by paper yume
Summary: Naruto gets Sasuke to go see a movie with him, however the movie brings out their true feelings. Shounen ai, SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

The Couple's Seat

Konoha only had one movie theater, which was about three blocks from Ichiraku's Ramen Stand (as Naruto related everything to its proximity in relation to Ichiraku's). Advertisements for the movie had been capturing Naruto's eye for weeks. It was billed as a tale of: Suspense! Love! Action! Drama! There were pretty people pointing guns at one another in a beautiful, rainy city. There were busty women barely contained by red satin dresses offering themselves to men who looked like they were rather musky-smelling. What better way for a ninja to take some down time than by spending a few hours in someone else's polished reality? Naruto was counting down the minutes until its opening day.

Sakura didn't want to see it. He had bugged her a week in advance to the movie's opening, but she said it looked violent and stupid, among other things.

"Men and women don't interact that way. No one actually says things that cliché and cheesy to each other."

"That's the point. It's like a trashy romance novel come to life. Only this one has bloodshed!"

"Please. I'd rather watch something realistic. Not some weak little girl willing to do anything for some stupid guy to notice her, even though the actress they have playing her could probably get noticed by any guy she wanted."

"Right." He stared blankly. "Because girls never get lovesick and follow around uninterested guys."

Sakura took a step back, absorbed the statement, and then raised her fist.

"Look at that! That one had bloodshed too." She turned and walked away, mentally patting herself on the back.

After walking around with a busted lip for the rest of the day, Naruto came to the conclusion that it was best to try and talk someone else into going to the movie with him.

First, he tried Kiba, figuring that their taste in movies was probably the same. No such luck. Akamaru had a vet appointment on that day. After asking Kiba, he noticed Hinata hiding behind a corner. He asked her to go to the movie with him, at which point she fainted. After finding a concerned Neji to help Hinata (Neji, he decided, probably didn't have the word "entertainment" lurking anywhere in his vocabulary), he noticed a lone figure walking on the sidewalk. A familiar head of spiky hair creeped into his vision.

Sasuke. He would ask Sasuke.

Initially, he thought Sasuke would probably be about as sure as Neji at saying "no," however Naruto figured that the bond of teammates may override the lack of "entertainment" in Sasuke's vocabulary.

"Yo, Sasuke!" He waved a hand and grinned, making the dark-haired boy stop in his tracks.

"What do you want?"

"Got a question. So what are you doing this weekend?"

Sasuke stood a bit stunned. He couldn't help but note how date-like the question had seemed.

"I don't know. Probably training," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, this awesome movie comes out this weekend that I've been dying to see! It's like this crime movie set in the 20's. There's a detective story and a love story in it too. And the girl who plays the love interest? Wow, I'd like one of those!"

Sasuke huffed, "Get on with it, Naruto."

"Oh, haha, sorry! Anyway, wanna go see it with me?"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Well, friends do go see movies with each other and Naruto is his friend, so he figured that it would be okay.

"Sure, I'll go."

A huge grin spread across Naruto's face at finally finding someone to go see the movie with. Sasuke couldn't help the tiny smile that invaded his face in response to that.

"So, do you want me to pick you up from your place?"

Naruto laughed. "Sasuke, you make it sound like a date! We'll meet there at 6:00 on Saturday. I will see you then!" He waved and walked off, satisfied at the accomplishment of the day's goal.

"Yeah, see you Saturday." The tinge of hurt in his voice went unnoticed by the retreating blonde.

* * *

Sasuke showed up at the movie theater at 6:10, to a very excited Naruto waiting in a rather long line.

"10 minutes late! Couldn't you pick-up one of Kakashi-sensei's better habits?"

"Which other ones do you suggest?" The slight smirk in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, but he chose to ignore it on the basis that he wasn't entirely sure of what Sasuke was implying, and really didn't want an answer to his curiosity.

After buying their tickets, they made their way into the movie theater. Sasuke decided to buy something to eat, and told Naruto to find them a seat. He stepped into the theater, the nonsensical chattering engulfing him. The seats were quickly filling up. Couples would grab two, families would grab three, groups of friends who came in were dividing up in order to find a seat. Naruto felt a wave of panic rush over him. The day he had been anticipating, his perfect day at the movies, was about to end with him straining his neck in the front row if he didn't do something quick. And then he saw it, a perfect solution, only three rows up from where he was currently standing.

Sasuke walked into the theater, scanning it for his friend. He carried a large tub of popcorn and two sodas. He stood at the front of the theater, in plain view of everyone, and thus choosing to ignore the dreamy sighs of the girls, and the jealous glares of their boyfriends directed at him. He couldn't believe how full the theater was for such a stupid movie, and how the large crowd could make such a noisy person invisible.

"Oi! Sasuke!" There was Naruto, standing up and waving. Sasuke marched up the stairs, reached the seat Naruto had chosen, and froze. It was on the outside of the aisle, and it was one seat that was big enough for two, without anything separating one seat from the other. The theater had a loveseat on the end of all the aisles. Sasuke looked up and down the theater, noting that all the other loveseats were filled with actual couples, girls cuddling up to their boyfriends.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said to his friend, "You got us a couple's seat?"

Naruto shrugged. "It was easier. All the other seats were filling up so fast, and then there was this one which didn't have anyone trying to sit in it. It was just easiest."

"Of course, dumbass. The only people who want to sit in these seats are people who are dating each other." Sasuke sat down beside Naruto, feeling his cheeks beginning to burn. "I can't believe you got us a couple's seat. But, here, I bought you a drink." He handed Naruto a soda.

"Ah, thanks Sasuke! I was just thinking about how thirsty I was! How much do I owe you?" He grabbed the drink and licked the straw, directing it into his mouth, and then sucked the drink down with fervor.

Sasuke gaped slightly. "Um, don't worry about it." The lights in the movie theater dimmed to the cheer of the audience, and to the thankfulness of Sasuke at covering what he was sure was a blush that had arose in his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

The movie began. A man in a drenched trenchcoat appeared on the screen, a camera swinging from his neck. He walked along the misty evening city street, the movie camera panning ahead of him to reveal a crowd of police and reporters surrounding a crime scene. The man walked up to a policeman.

"Roger," he called, "you have to let me get a picture. _The Evening Standard_ would have my tail if they knew I wasn't able to cover this one."

"No can do, man. This is too high-profile, no pictures allowed."

Roger the policeman waved a detective in a brown hat towards the chalked outline of what was obviously once the body of someone who fell from a very high place.

The camera followed the brown-capped man as he spoke with a handful of policemen standing outside the chalk outline. The audience learned that the outline belonged to a 50-year-old oil tycoon who had come to the city for a weekend trip. His name was Blaine. The detective, whose name was David, decided to return to the police station, but not before he encountered a woman on his way to the station. She wore a long fur coat, her hair fell in soft auburn waves, and her red lipstick accentuated her glamour.

She must be the love interest, the one Naruto likes, Sasuke thought rather jealously. He glanced over to his friend, his eyes wide with wonder and excitement, at the movie or the woman, Sasuke didn't know what, but he hoped the former.

David the detective, as it turned out, was a ladies' man, with the beautiful woman being one of his many conquests; and she wanted to know why- why did David prey on her, why was David such a selfish bastard, but most importantly why didn't he stay, what made him leave, why couldn't he love her the way she loved him. "Why couldn't you stay?" Her words bounced back and forth in Naruto's head.

"It's not in me to stay, Audra. God didn't put the capacity to love in this soul. Don't concern yourself with me, find someone else to fix you eggs in the morning."

With a wave of dismissal he walked off, leaving a body that wore the hurt like the fur coat that draped around it, from the quivering of her mouth, to the sag of her shoulders. The camera stayed fixed on Audra.

"Why did I," her voice beginning to break, "why did I…" she trailed off, a tear rolling down her cheek, "for someone like this?"

Sasuke felt like scoffing. He identified with David's problem of females who couldn't comprehend the phrase "not interested," but at the same time at least David wasn't blind to Audra's attraction, and had reciprocated it at least once. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught blonde hair falling into blue eyes.

"Why did I for someone like this?" Sasuke muttered to himself.

"It's a great line, isn't it?" Naruto whispered a bit too excitedly.

Sasuke shrugged. Stupid, cliché movies shouldn't hit so close to home. If only Naruto would agree, he silently wished.

David arrived at the police station. A portly man in suspenders talked to him about how he needed a vacation, and then handed him a folder. David sat at his desk, and thumbed through the contents. Roger the policeman entered the scene again, and sat on the edge of David's messy desk.

"It was a murder. We've ruled out a suicide. This man," Roger tapped the folder, "had a lot of enemies." The rundown of enemies began, but there were only two powerful enough to get close enough to kill him: Eric Morimer and Angel Lucci; the former Blaine's number one rival in the oil business, and the latter the city's most renowned gangster whom Blaine had had shady dealings with. At this point in the movie, Sasuke decided he wanted a refill on his drink. He began to lift himself from his seat.

"Are you kidding? You'll miss something good!" Naruto clasped his hand around Sasuke's wrist. Not willing to lose the pleasantness of the touch, Sasuke sat back down and readjusted himself.

Roger got up to leave David, but before he could exit fully he threw his head over his shoulder, and said very snidely, "And by the way, Isaw her last night." David shot him a look full of daggers, the bad blood practically bleeding through the screen.

"Her? Sasuke, who do you think…?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." He grunted with frustration to the "shh-ing" of the people around them.

The scene changed to a smoky jazz club. A voluptuous woman in sequins stood atop a stage swaying her hips to a mellow beat. Her soulful, rich vocals filled the theater. The movie camera panned along the dancing clubgoers to a man sitting alone at a bar. It was the photographer from the first scene.

"Sean, want another?" The bartender questioned.

"No thanks, man. I think I'll just nurse the rest of this one until I leave."

Sean continued sipping his beer, and was soon accompanied by another beautiful woman. She was different from Audra, but they were cut from the same cloth. She was just as curvy, just as glamourous, just as beautiful, but whereas Audra's fragile smile exploited her vulnerability, this woman radiated something different. It was her smirk coated in blood-red lips that told a story much different than Audra's hesitant pout. This woman was capable of anything, capable of feeling much too deeply in all directions, and acting accordingly. She threw back a mane of jet-black hair.

"What is it that you're after, Raquel?"

"Same thing I'm always after, Sean. I want the key to the city, the power to control. Play your cards right, and when I'm queen I'll let you lick my throne one day."

Naruto gulped. She was forward, but aloof, detached to even the words that she let escape. She reclined in her chair, not breaking eye contact with Sean. The eyes he was captured in though, two obsidian pools one could drown in. The darkness of her hair and eyes contrasted strikingly with her alabaster skin. Just like…

Naruto turned to Sasuke. He would kill me if he knew the things I thought. After a moment, Sasuke returned the stare.

"What?"

"What do you think of her? She's amazing, isn't she?"

Sasuke turned to the screen. Raquel the siren was fingering the straw in her drink while looking seductively at Sean. She didn't make much of an impression on Sasuke. In truth, he thought she seemed like a bitch.

"She's okay, I guess," he sighed without a hint of interest. Naruto turned his head back to the movie, snickering inwardly.

Raquel and Sean had never slept together, though each had an itch that screamed to be scratched by the other. That much was evident by the shared double entendres and the suggestive body language. Raquel had decided to let Sean in on a little secret- she knew who Blaine was with shortly before his death, but it would cost him. As it turns out, _The Evening Standard_ had had his tail for failing to get any pictures of the day's biggest news story, so Sean became a buying man, and agreed to pay the large sum Raquel requested.

Blaine had been with a woman on the night of his murder. A beautiful woman, whose innocence was the selling point to many men. Audra, Raquel had mentioned, and Sean would find her at the corner of 67th and Marble, in the apartments beside the asylum.

Sasuke leaned back in satisfaction, trying to read the expression on Naruto's face. How was the little love interest now? Would he still want 'one of those' if all the other similar models were murdering whores as well? "Hmmph." He was satisfied at this turn of events.

Naruto directed a sideways glare at him. "What the hell, Sasuke." Phrased like a question, but intoned like a statement.

"You should've seen it coming from the previews. It's always the one you least expect. Besides, sweet innocence like that in a movie is seen in those who can either do no wrong, or are just waiting for someone to push the wrong button."

"The movie's not over yet. You don't know that."

"I've seen enough to know. Her innocence has already started to crumble, and when that happens, the true colors can't help but show."

"True colors? If she had anything to do with the murder, then I'm sure she had a good reason. Like, he was molesting her or something."

"Molesting? She's a whore. I guess it is what it is though. Hookers with a heart of gold are one of most annoying movie clichés anyway. It's better that she's rotten."

"She's not rotten! You can see it in her eyes. There's love, and beauty, and kindness, and truth, and…"

"Excuse me." The man sitting beside them focused his glowering and line ridden face at the boys. His words iced in a venom that spoke of an extreme annoyance at having the value of his afternoon at the movies lessened by idle chatter. "If you're going to have a conversation, please do so outside."

Naruto huffed. "Everyone makes comments at the movies."

"Yes," the man answered, "but they don't have drawn out conversations about the complexities of a character's morality. If you want to talk about it," he fumed to the point of a growl, "then why don't you and your boyfriend go outside."

Naruto paused in the way one would do the moment they realized the shore they were standing on was about to be engulfed in a tsunami, a stillness of the mind where all thoughts cease, and it takes a crushing inward silence to get them to work again.

"Gah…" a stammer, "H-h-he's not," a stutter, "my boyfriend!" a bit of a yell, met by laughs and girlish giggles of the people seated around them, as well as what Naruto was sure were a few pieces of popcorn thrown at the back of his head.

The man's anger creased face sank deeper into a fold of lines. Sasuke sensed a bubbling danger and interjected, "We're sorry sir. Expect no more conversations from us." The man nodded warily and sat back in his seat. Naruto sank into his chair, trying to melt through the theater floor. Sasuke caught site of his pink, embarrassed face, and smiled.

"Are you smiling?" came the muffled observation from the currently melting ninja. The man beside them glared out of the corner of his bloodshot eye, clearly not appreciating that the blonde kid was talking again. Sasuke continued to smile. There was a long pause, followed by a dejected, but still authoritative mutter: "Bastard."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the long update! School started again, and I've been very busy. In the past week, I had a big urge to finish this story, but this part wasn't the most fun to write, so I'm very sorry if it seems rushed! I guess I'm just eager to write the SasuNaru goodness that follows this chapter.

* * *

On the movie screen, Sean approached Audra's door and knocked. She answered, her auburn waves falling into her eyes, and her silk nightgown clinging to her curves. He stilled, admiring her beauty, and then began, "I want you to know I'm not a police officer." She slammed the door into his face, but he caught it, begging her to stop and listen. He wanted to know what happened the night of Blaine's murder. She said it hadn't been unusual, and like any other night she spent with her clients. He paid for the few hours of her time and left, and he left, she emphasized, very much alive. He believed her. "You're pure," he explained.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whore," he said under his breath. The blonde ninja, who was slowly rising back to form, punched Sasuke in the shoulder.

Audra wanted to know how Sean had known she was with Blaine that night. "Raquel." Audra's face faulted. Behind Raquel's name lied a plethora of implication. The plot point brought Naruto to full form once again in his seat, excited at the new development.

The scene switched once again to the police station, where David the detective was busy with paperwork. Apparently, the two prime suspects checked out, and no links could be found between them and Blaine's murder.

"It'll work itself out," Roger said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

David looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "How is Raquel?" he muttered through clenched teeth.

Roger laughed. "Exactly, how much will did it take for you to gather to force yourself to ask that? But she's good. She's damn good, as always, she delivers. You know that."

David had the face of a man who was chewing on glass.

"Are you even worried in the slightest that the woman you married is an evil bitch?"

"Now, now," Roger grinned, "she does have her good points, but she does have her good points." He chuckled at his comment. "She's been catching up with an old friend these past few weeks, getting information on her, and trying to help her out some. Audra is her name, I believe."

It clicked. Ten million light bulbs went off. David's eyes widened in realization. He hurriedly grabbed his gun and keys. "Shit! What if I'm too late?" He ran as fast as he could out of the station.

"Hey!" Roger called. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

The scene switched again to Sean and Audra.

"Everyone knows Raquel." Sean acknowledged the look on Audra's face.

"She was amazing at one point; just beautiful, and talented at everything. I really admired her. She got lead astray though. She got too caught up in things she should have left well enough alone." Her voice was tinged with sadness. The look on Sean's face told of the need to hold her. He took a step forward to act on this need, but was interrupted as the door was kicked open. They both looked up, surprise and horror etched into their faces, at Raquel and three very burly, very dangerous looking men.

"Aww," she chuckled, "it's so sweet of the two of you to reminisce about me."

Sasuke thought back on Naruto calling this woman amazing. Between her and the whore, he thought, his taste in women can't get much worse. He admitted to himself that as much as he can't stand the thought of Naruto having a taste in women, he'll at least have time for improvement when the time comes.

"I'm going to get another drink," he said to the oblivious blonde.

Sasuke walked to the concession stand, fishing in his pocket for the money. When the time comes, he thought again. He had long decided that this wasn't something he could force, it would have to be a natural occurrence so as not to alienate Naruto for life. Lately, especially in the last hour being in such close proximity, he was thinking that natural occurrences normally need a catalyst. He handed the clerk his money, and took his drink off the counter. Maybe not a catalyst, he reexamined his thoughts, maybe more of a slight nudge. He walked back to the theater, imagining what a catalyst would do to Naruto, picturing soft blue eyes growing into two giant white baseballs, and the emission of a "GYA!" so loud that it could stop the hearts of all of Konoha. A nudge, Sasuke decided walking back to his seat, a slight nudge, and since he was sitting so close, he decided that he might try it sooner than he'd anticipated. He took his seat, to the same obliviousness of his friend.

"What did I miss?" He asked disinterestedly.

"We found out a lot! Raquel and Audra were best friends growing up. Then Audra's parents died, and that's when she started selling herself. Raquel offered to help, arranging for Audra's clients. From there it just sped out of control. She realized how easy it was to control others and get what she wanted, and she's wanted power over everything since. Kind of like a mob boss."

Sasuke nodded. "Still think she's amazing, Naruto?"

He scowled at his friend's taunting. "She can change. Besides, I'd do her."

Sasuke choked on his drink a bit to Naruto's satisfaction and slight worry that Sasuke had picked up on the underlying meaning of that statement.

The man from earlier glared at them, clearly indicating that along with a character's morality, their sexual attractiveness should be kept quiet while in a theater too.

On the screen, Raquel and the men had cornered Sean and Audra.

"You killed Blaine, didn't you? And now you're going to frame Audra, you sick bitch," Sean fumed.

"You can't prove anything. Besides, being a sick bitch is something you've always loved about me." Her smile was sadistic.

Raquel informed the room that Sean had chased after her years ago, wanting nothing more than a simple night, but he never had a chance, he simply wasn't good enough for her.

"By the way, I've alerted the police. The pieces to the puzzle have fallen in place. All we need is the clincher," she looked at Sean. One of the burly man took out a knife and held it to Sean's throat. "The police will be here soon. What do you think they'll do when they find a dead man in your bed? You're a whore, it's not like they won't believe you because of your 'purity.'"

Just outside of the door, the camera panned to David, wiping sweat beads off his forehead. "Once and for all," he whispered, "I have to do this."

He threw a smoke bomb into the apartment, much to the confusion of its inhabitants. A burly man ran out. Bang. Then another. Bang.

"No!" Raquel grabbed the arm of the other burly man. "You're my protection! You can't go out there until we can see the shooter better!"

Sean grabbed Audra, whispering to her, "Stay with me. While they can't see, we'll crawl out the back window, okay?"

"Okay," she answered.

They crawled into the kitchen, finding a window with a conveniently placed fire escape underneath it. All the while, David had entered the room, determined to confront Raquel. He shot her last protector, and came face to face with her. He raised the gun to her.

"I loved you at one point. Maybe some people would say it was only infatuation, but I know the way I felt. It was love."

He chucked the gun to the side, and put his hands around her neck, too quickly for her to have a reaction.

"Pity." She was serene even in the face of death.

"You're right. It is a pity you turned out to be who you are, someone who had so much to give the world. A pity you turned out this way, and didn't bother to turn back."

Her smile could've chilled bones. "And?"

"Ruining an innocent girl like that, not to mention killing all the people you have just to get ahead."

"You were like me once." She wasn't pleading, merely stating a fact.

"I killed that part of me long ago." He bared his teeth and tightened his hands around her neck, her body falling limp moments later.

David stepped out of the building, joining Audra and Sean, who were seated on the curb of the street, the gray cement and brick wall behind them outlining their figures.

"We should go," he said to the others. They shared a meaningful look, one that expressed that this experience bonded the three of them together forever, that they would have no choice but to support the others, and survive in the underground, away from Raquel's powerful and probably vengeful husband.

Sasuke sighed. Looks of determination and purpose always seemed so trite in movies like these. He glanced over at his friend, who currently had tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, and a pout across his face, looking seconds away from an ear-splitting wail. He rolled his eyes, figuring that as cheesy as a move it was, he may as well do it anyway. He reached his hand over to Naruto, and locked his hand into the other's, their fingers intertwined. Sasuke was relieved to see that Naruto didn't reject this gesture, but a bit upset that it elicited no response either.

The trio on the screen shared one more determined, life-changing look before the screen faded to black, and the lights in the theater went up. Aside from a few girlish giggles directed at the two cute boys holding hands, they remained unnoticed. Naruto wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket, and Sasuke simply rolled his eyes at his friend's overly-emotional state.

"You're such a girl, come on." He stood up, tugging his friend up, never letting go of his hand.

"I'm not a girl," he managed to get out between sobs, "you're just a bastard."

They walked out of the theater, with Naruto sniffling along the way, mostly invisible to the crowded lobby, except to the grumpy guy who sat beside them.

"You're awfully close not to be boyfriends," he taunted as they walked by him.

Sasuke was delighted when the comment elicited no response from Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the last chapter! I hope you guys liked it, and please review!

* * *

Upon walking out of the theater, the veil of anonymity was taken away, forcing Sasuke and Naruto to come face to face with the gawking of passing strangers at the two young boys holding hands, at which point, they mutually dropped the other's hand. They continued walking down the street, the dusk painting the sky a dark, melancholy blue. Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets, while Naruto was using his sleeve to dry the remaining moisture from his almost dry eyes. Sasuke glanced at him.

"All over a stupid movie."

Naruto seethed. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

A moment passed.

"You can't tell me that you didn't feel anything!" He shouted shaking a fist into Sasuke's face.

"Good job at not dignifying that with a response, dobe."

Naruto gritted his teeth, fuming. Sasuke kept his face straight, but inwardly snickered. Whatever feelings he may have for the dumb blonde, he would never tire of riling him up.

"You have no heart! You know, they…they were…like," he started sniffling in the midst of saying his sentence, causing a stutter to emerge.

Sasuke stepped forward, took one hand out of his pocket, and lazily wiped away the tears on Naruto's face that had yet to fall. Naruto met his eyes. Sasuke's eyes weren't the windows to his soul, Naruto could never see through them. At that moment, he desperately wanted to. He wanted to know what caused the kind gesture.

But he looked down, not able to keep the gaze with what he was going to say next.

"Like us."

He balled his hands into fists, needing some sort of physical release, some kind of outward expression, to replace the part inside of him that he had made bare. It's only a few words, he thought, but it's Sasuke, he's smart enough to know what I mean.

Sasuke's hand now lay still on the side of Naruto's face. It was an absent touch almost, with Naruto not leaning into it, and Sasuke not turning the touch into a caress.

"Us?" Sasuke questioned, unnerved, unsure, but hopeful all the same.

"Yes," Naruto started to explain, looking off to the side, "us. Us as in Team 7 at the end of the movie. And us as in us, you and me."

At that moment, he felt a curious feeling in his stomach. It was heavy and uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt. Like a knot, it was twisted and tight. What am I doing, he questioned himself, I'm ruining everything.

"Is this what you were thinking of throughout the movie?"

Naruto gulped, which Sasuke took as a yes. He removed his hand, needing time to think.

"We should go. I'll walk you to your place."

They walked the rest of the way in near silence and full-blown awkwardness. Shy sideways glances were shared when they thought the other wasn't looking. Touches were shared where they barely skimmed the other's hand or arm, which a few hours ago could've been ignorantly wrote off as accidental. Naruto tried to process what it all really meant; if his impromptu soul sharing had been met with mutual feelings from Sasuke. And Sasuke tried to make sure no other interpretation could be read in Naruto's feelings, other than the one he desired to see.

They reached Naruto's door, who tried his best to not look at Sasuke.

"I appreciate you coming with me," he said as he put the key into the lock. The knot in his stomach had grown heavier, but not tighter. He wanted into his apartment as soon as possible, wanting sleep to heal him of this knot and the last half hour.

Sasuke watched him, his eagerness to get inside his apartment reflected in the redness creeping onto the sides of his face, and the bangs that he had buried his eyes under.

"I consider this a date," Sasuke blurted out. He figured this was the best course of action. Naruto was more the type to be blunt with, and it would alleviate Naruto's embarrassment. Besides, it wasn't like the boy hadn't already given him the go-ahead.

He stopped trying to unlock his door, and blinked-up at Sasuke, not sure if he had heard right, or hallucinated in his mind-consuming embarrassment.

"What?"

"A date," Sasuke stepped forward, the two boys facing each other, "with you," they were now close, their bodies a few inches from touching. Sasuke leaned forward and touched his forehead to Naruto's. He closed his eyes, his breath quickening. "Dates end with a goodnight kiss, you know."

Naruto closed his eyes in return, and placed his hand onto Sasuke's shoulders. The knot in his stomach growing tighter.

"I'm ready," he answered. Their warm breaths mingled with each other, causing the other's skin to flush.

Sasuke took his hands out of his pockets and wrapped them around Naruto's waist, pulling him closer. He briefly opened his eyes so as to change position to locate Naruto's lips better, but it was Naruto who pressed his lips to Sasuke first, in a light, chaste kiss. Sasuke closed his eyes once again, and pressed his lips harder into Naruto's. Naruto parted his lips, allowing for a slight tug on Sasuke's lower lip. He moaned into the motion, and returned the tug by gently running his tongue on Naruto's upper lip, politely asking for entrance. His lips parted fully this time, letting Sasuke run his tongue over his teeth, before their tongues lightly touched, and engaged in a gentle battle. Sasuke pulled back, with Naruto getting one last lick at the other's nearly closed lips. They stood for a moment, sharing a look of dazed lust and clear love.

Naruto broke out into a smile, one of the ones that could light the sky. "This was a good day!"

Sasuke grinned. "Yes, it was."

At some point, Naruto was sure that the knot in his stomach had broken.


End file.
